Overloaded ferry capsizes in Congo, kills dozens, leaves more than 100 missing

A ferry overloaded with people going home for Christmas capsized on the Busira River in northeastern Congo, leaving 38 people confirmed dead and more than 100 others missing, officials and witnesses said Saturday. Twenty people have been rescued so far.

The sinking of the ferry late on Friday came less than four days after another boat capsized in the country’s northeast, killing 25 people.

The ferry was traveling as part of a convoy of other vessels and the passengers were mostly traders returning home for Christmas, said Joseph Joseph Kangolingoli, mayor of Ingende, the last town on the river before the accident site.

According to Ingende resident Ndolo Kadi, the ferry contained “more than 400 people because it made two ports, Ingende and Loolo, on the way to Boende, so there is reason to believe that there were more deaths.”

Congolese authorities have often warned against overloading boats and vowed to punish those who violate safety measures on the rivers. However, in remote areas many people cannot afford public transport on the few roads available.

At least 78 people drowned in October when an overloaded boat sank in the east of the country, while 80 lost their lives in a similar incident near Kinshasa, the country’s capital, in June.

The latest incident drew the ire of the government for not equipping the convoy with flotation devices.

Nesty Bonina, a member of the local government and a prominent figure in Mbandaka, the capital of Équateur province where the ferry sank, condemned the authorities for not handling the recent sinkings properly.

“How can a vessel sail at night under the watchful eye of river authorities? And now we are registering over a hundred deaths,” said Bonina.

Capsizing of overloaded boats is becoming more common in this central African nation as more people, for safety reasons, forgo the few roads available in favor of wooden vessels that crumble under the weight of passengers and their goods.

The roads are often embroiled in deadly clashes between Congolese security forces and rebels, who sometimes block major access routes.